MAPUSA: Farmers from Mapusa along with Shri Bodgeshwar Xhetkari Sangh members on Saturday showed black flags to Union Minister Prakash Javdekar and shouted slogans during his arrival at Mapusa to attend a meeting of BJP office bearers and a Kisan Morcha at party’s North Goa district office.
Farmers demanded the immediate withdrawal of Farm Bills and called for restoring the names of 1300 farmers on the land use map.
Ravi Harmalkar, a farmer said, “Union minister Javdekar has come to interact with the farmers. We are farmers but not part of this interaction because we are not called. Also I want to ask Javdekar why he has come to Goa following the passage of the farm bills. Before passing the bills, the farmers were not taken into confidence. The bills have been passed without consulting the farmers. Pramod Sawant, who is the “accidental” CM of Goa, should get a bill passed for Goa which will protect the agriculture land and to convert orchard land into agriculture land and not orchard land to settlement. We want Land Protection bill to be passed, which will protect the farmers and need to take forward Jai Jawan Jai Kisan slogan”.
“If Javdekar is bothered about the people of Goa then why did he allow to diversion of Mhadei water. We, farmers depend on Mhadei. If the water is diverted then during the summer from where will farmers get water? Javdekar should answer this”, Ravi Harmalkar demanded.
Another farmer John Lobo, who was also the part of the protest said, “Even after having a krishi card and registered as farmer, I was not informed and called for this meeting. I want to ask government why the 1300 farmers from Mapusa were not called for the meeting. This meeting is fake and eyewash. We condemn this act of BJP government. We want the names of 1300 farmers to be restored and demand immediate withdrawal of the farm bills which have been passed to finish poor farmers “.
President of Shri Bodgeshwar Xhetkari Sangh Sanjay Barde said, “Taking into consideration the issue of Mapusa farmers where the names of 1300 farmers were deleted from the Register, we expected to be called for this meeting. The local MLA who is also a farmer has not even bothered to inform us”.
“This BJP government does everything overnight. It can be passing of the bills, IIT project, Mhadei water diversion or holding meetings. The 40 MLAs of Goa have sold Mhadei”, Barde alleged.
“The municipality is responsible for the barren fields in Mapusa. It’s because of the municipality farmers in Mapusa are unable to enter their fields as the entry to the fields is blocked,” Barde charged.
